The invention generally relates to packaged precooked meat which is able to be stored under refrigerated conditions for extended time periods without developing a wet and soft texture, off-flavors, or undesired microbial growth. More particularly, the present invention relates to cooked meat cuts which are precooked and sealed into a pouch together with a low-pH sauce to provide a non-frozen packaged meat product having an extended refrigerated shelf life.
Methods and processes for packaging meat products in order to enhance their shelf stability are generally well-known. One category of providing shelf-stable packaged meat-containing products relies upon freezing those products with the objective of maintaining important flavor qualities and controlling microbial growth. Other approaches include packaging under aseptic conditions in the form of canned or retorted products or by using other technologies which tend to undesirably change the character of the meat products. There is a tendency for such products to lose their characteristic texture and to have their taste detrimentally affected. In general, meat freezing is still a preferred approach for long-term storage of meats and meat products. Freezing generally preserves flavor attributes and texture during reasonably long frozen storage periods.
In some instances, there is a desire to avoid frozen meat products for a variety of reasons. One may wish to avoid the time and inconvenience of having to proceed through a thawing operation. This is especially important in marketing meat products which are intended to exhibit a minimum of preparation time or to require minimal advance planning to allow for adequate defrosting time. Meat products which are marketed frozen can also give the impression of having a less fresh quality when compared with meat products which are available in a refrigerated, non-frozen state.
Refrigerated, non-frozen meat products are widely distributed in refrigerated food cases. Often, such products are in the nature of butchershop products which are pre-cut or pre-portioned and typically packaged in a simple manner suitable for self-serve refrigerated meat cases. These types of refrigerated meat cases are generally recognized as a fine source of so-called fresh meat products. The refrigerated shelf life of meat products marketed in this manner is necessarily relatively short and can require special handling and maintenance.
At times, meat products within refrigerated, non-freezing marketing display cabinets are of the pre-cooked variety. It has been found that pre-cooked meat products can be especially problematic in terms of maintaining flavor without developing characteristic and often unacceptable off-flavors. Refrigerated, non-frozen meat products likewise can be problematic in terms of microbial growth control. This is the case for even cooked meat products. In fact, cooked meat products are especially problematic when it comes to avoiding the development of off-flavors when stored under non-freezing refrigeration, even when that storage is for a relatively short time, for as short as a few days or even only several hours. Characteristic warmed-over flavors develop which render precooked meat products undesirable, even after they are heated during meal preparation.
Previous approaches recognize the importance of addressing these general concerns and problems. For example, Brotsky U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,070 describes meat emulsions including common salt and other components, which are then shaped and cooked, with attention being paid to low interior acid levels for meat products of this general type. This patent indicates the importance of rapid treatment of the meat particles in the emulsion, which are to be of a size smaller than meat cubes of intact muscle. Tonner U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,027 relates to ground meat with an acid source having a slow release characteristic which will acidify after heating is initiated. Bernatovicz U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,904 relates to ground meat products having fillers. The use of citric acid in cooked ground meat products is discussed.
Other approaches address meat cuts which are not necessarily processed as ground products. Szczesniak U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,357 relates to intermediate moisture meats having a preservation system including a common chloride salt with certain organic salts, while recognizing that it can be useful to lower the pH of meats from the near-neutral range of from 5.5 to 8.0 down to a pH of as low as 3.0 by the use of food grade acids. Anders U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,191 recognized that Clostridium botulinum can be addressed in fish and poultry through the use of lactate salts, either alone or combined with agents such as sodium chloride or sodium nitrite. Included are turkey breasts injected with a brine solution, as well as the lactate salt. Ruzek U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,085 describes treating fresh pork cuts with a treatment solution having a lactate buffer salt, a phosphate sequestrate, and a diacetate flavor enhancement agent.
Although approaches such as these have been suggested, satisfactory industrially prepared and packaged cooked meat cuts in sauces have not been available in a form which achieves extended shelf life attributes even when stored under refrigerated, non-frozen conditions. Thus, there is a potentially important category of food products which are convenient to distribute industrially and market, while also requiring a minimum amount of consumer preparation. This potentially important category relates to meat products which are quick and easy to prepare, typically being eaten after a brief heating period, such as by microwave heating close in time to consumption. More particularly, this category preferably includes precooked, uncured meat cuts. A primary reason for the rarety of refrigerated, precooked and uncured meat cuts being available to consumers through retail markets is the sususptiblity of such meat components to decline in meat quality during long-term refrigerated storage.
In this regard, meat quality decline can involve three principal aspects. Microbial quality typically deteriorates under refrigeration, especially under conditions at which the cooked cut is neither frozen nor cured. Psychorotropic bacteria can multiply during refrigerated storage and reduce acceptable shelf life of the meat.
Another aspect of meat quality deterioration, which is of particular concern when cooked and uncured meat products are refrigerated, particularly above meat-freezing temperatures, is flavor quality deterioration. Maintenance of acceptable flavor of cooked, uncured meat is challenged by the rapid onset of off-flavors, which can be known in the art as xe2x80x9cwarmed-over flavorxe2x80x9d (at times referred to herein as xe2x80x9cWOFxe2x80x9d). The development of these types of off-flavors typically occurs within hours of cooking. Consequently, consumer acceptability of precooked, uncured meat products declines very rapidly with the length of storage time. It is generally accepted that the WOF phenominum is caused by autoxidation of meat lipids. WOF characteristics generally are associated with the characteristics of oxidative rancidity. At a minimum, unpleasant flavor notes develop in short order when precooked meat cuts are wrapped and refrigerated.
A third meat quality deterioration can occur when providing meat cuts which are flavored or which are otherwise treated with relatively low pH compositions. It has been found that precooked products within this general category can be faced with a problem of excess tenderness or a mealy feel and appearance, thereby providing a product which is not of a satisfactory texture characteristic of a freshly cooked meat cut. It is believed that this disagreeable characteristic is due to a reduction in the water holding capacity of the cooked meat. This water holding capacity reduction is believed to lead to water purge and resulting yield loss, as well as the mealy and soft, tending toward slimy feel and appearance of such packaged precooked meat cuts. It is generally believed that cooking with a low pH sauce or component moves the meat to near or at its isoelectric point. Meat pH reduction which occurs prior to cooking reduces water holding capacity of the meat, causes it to lose water and thus yield.
These detrimental microbial, flavor and texture characteristics become more problematic during non-freezing refrigerated storage for extended time periods. To provide precooked meat products, particularly ones which are flavored, the avoidance of texture degradation, oxidative rancidity, significant bacterial count increases, and off-flavor development must be avoided or substantially retarted so as to provide cooked meat products or meat-containing products which are both safe and acceptably flavored.
The present invention is directed to a refrigerated packaged food product and process for preparing the food product. Meat cuts are processed and packaged with a selection from a variety of sauces and to provide precooked meat cuts in sauces in a form which has an extended shelf life of months for meat cuts which exhibit and maintain control of microbial growth and avoid mealy, wetter and softer texture characteristics, while maintaining good flavor attributes and retarding warmed over flavor development. Unfrozen meat cuts are treated with a marinade, followed by cooking and chilling. Thereafter, the cooked, uncured cuts are placed into a pouch, together with a low pH sauce, which pouch is then sealed and placed into a refrigerated, non-frozen environment. The product is marketed and sold. In a preferred embodiment, the pouch containing the food product is placed within a tray which is also sealed and part of the refrigerated package.
It is accordingly a general object of the present invention to preserve precooked meat cuts for long term refrigerated storage.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide improved precooked and uncured meat products, processes for preparing and using same, and kits incorporating same, which meat products retard microbial growth, off-flavor development, and mealy characteristics.
Another aspect of this invention is to provide refrigerated, never frozen, precooked and uncured meat cuts in a form suitable for sale to consumers through retail markets by imparting microbial and flavor shelf-stability for lengths of time suitable for retail markets and channels of trade and without causing water transfer out of the meat, which would result in mealy, wet texture and yield loss.
Another aspect of the present invention is to combine formulation, processing and packaging features in preparing cooked meat products having a shelf life of at least 60 days, the formulation features including treatment with a marinade, and the processing including full cooking prior to the addition of an acidic sauce.
Another aspect of this invention is to provide non-frozen whole muscle meat cuts or portions which, although unground, maintain long-term shelf stability and flavor maintenance and texture maintenance without subjecting same to freezing.
In another aspect of the invention, a marinade formulation including a lactate, a phosphate, and a common salt treats an unfrozen meat cut prior to searing, cooking and chilling, done prior to the addition of any low pH sauce for contact with the meat.
These and other objects, aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from and clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.